Go Director Faster!

The big lie in Mary Kay is that when you get to the level of director, that is where you will really make money. The secret is that in MLM, they are constantly telling you that the NEXT level is where you’re going to make money. Because nearly everyone loses money in MLM, they have to convince you that you’re just inches away from making money. In Mary Kay, that alleged money-making level is sales director, the top 2% of the company.

The sad truth is that most of the sales directors are making less than minimum wage. Even the directors who drive Cadillacs (about 880 out of 13,000 directors, or 6.7% of them) are only making about $40,000 a year before business expenses. Yet Mary Kay is sold as a way to make an executive income, if only you are willing to do the work. Newsflash! I know sales directors who have been at that level for 15 or 20 years, and every month they struggle to make production. Their earnings are dismal, and they’ve worked an awful lot over those years.

The other sad truth is that women can make a lot of money in MK because of their DIQs (director in qualification). While someone is in DIQ, the sales director gets paid commission on the people the DIQ is churning. It’s basically having someone else do all the work for you while your unit production goals are met and you get paid a commission. This is a good reason to push women into DIQ.

There are several different documents that make the rounds on how to get to sales director fast. Many of them talk about making it to director in 3 months or 100 days. That’s not enough time to build a strong selling unit. (Even after years as a sales director, it’s nearly impossible to build a strong selling unit because it’s so hard to retail MLM products.)

Here’s one that tells you how to become a Mary Kay director in ONE MONTH. You need 24 active team members and $18,000 wholesale production in 1 to 3 months to finish DIQ. The idea for doing it fast is that you start DIQ with 10 active. You then “just” hold 10 classes and recruit 5 people from those classes, and get 3 people on your team (which now totals 15) to become red jackets (3 recruits each). Voila! You are at the magic number of 24, and no one has had a chance to go inactive yet.

How will you do that? Apparently, it’s simple:

INTERVIEWSStrive for 50 interviews within your unit. You must do them with your director and have your consultants also set up interviews with your director. By the end of the month you will be ready to do them yourself. Actually by the 10th one you should be pretty good. Let them know this is a part of your training and that they are not under any obligation, but just to listen. Offer a gift for doing the interview. Use the personality sheet. Laminate it, use a washable marker and mark of their identifying marks, you will know how to appeal to them.

GUESTSYou and your consultants must bring guests to every event and unit meeting. Let them know that the meeting is not long. Tell the guests that they will get a gift for coming. If someone does not go, set up an interview with them. Offer them a gift for the interview.

LISTENListen to your director!!!! Do whatever she tells you to do. She knows how to become a director, she is one, your are not.

GO TO EVERYTHINGGo to your unit meeting, every week. Book your classes and have selling appointments. Make sure you and your consultants bring guests to each event. These keep you motivated.

TALK ABOUT ITTell everyone about your goal to become a director. Your director needs to know so she can help you. Tell the consultants in your group and your fellow consultants. If you work, they should all know. Your family and friends also need to know. Ask they for referrals. Offer them incentives to get you interviews. Literally talk to every person you know, and ask them, “Have you ever thought about doing something like Mary Kay?” DON’T PRE-JUDGE!!! The women you hesitate to ask are probably the ones who would sign up. Be excited about it!! Be Happy!! People will want to help you or be a part of what you are doing. Don’t be obviously stressed. No one wants to help you be more stressed. Communication with your director is important. Talk to her everyday. She will keep you going.

BE PREPAREDYou are going to be so busy this month, have at least 30 recruiting packets ready. Also, discuss signing bonuses with your director. Have copies of the bonus that is offered for recruiting and for inventory. Being prepared will help you to close the prospective consultant. Keep a schedule and stick to it, you need to spend a lot of your time doing MK this month. Just plan on taking a month off from doing all the tasks that add to your day. Make sure your family and friends understand that you will be very limited in your time.

Here’s what they don’t teach you… Where are you going to find the people who are going to allow you to do the amount of activity you need? In order to hold 10 skin care classes, you will need to book 20 or 30.That would mean coming into contact with at least 40 to 60 new women in order to try to book this many classes.

You must have at least 3-5 people at each class, at a minimum. You’d have to interview about 30 people in order to get your 5 new recruits. Then to try to get your team members to become red jackets with 3 recruits each… this is completely out of your control.

They make it sound so easy to “just do it,” but the reality is that it’s really difficult to generate enough contacts to have a shot at this level of activity. It’s nearly impossible, no matter how outgoing you are or how much time you devote to this Mary Kay nonsense. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, you’re almost guaranteed to fail with this plan.

GUESTS
You and your consultants must bring guests to every event and unit meeting. Let them know that the meeting is not long. Tell the guests that they will get a gift for coming. If someone does not go, set up an interview with them. Offer them a gift for the interview.

In Canada they are extending the “DIQ with 8” program. So even more people with further to go are chasing the same limited number of marks. How can any thinking person think that it’s a gift to be allowed to start from a disadvantaged position with fewer team members? I guess the Directors will inherit the remains of these failed attempts, so they must be loving it.

One of the worst things to ever happen to us was DIQ at 8. Weakest new Directors, horrible drop outs, very few still standing. It was a ploy to create new NSDs. The way to create new NSDs is NOT lowering the standard but making the existing sales force stronger!